Pakistani Americans declare war on terrorism

Sacramento's Pakistani Americans declare war on terrorism
http://mikeghouseforamerica.blogspot.com/2010/05/pakistani-americans-declare-war-on.html

Three ways of looking at the situation;

As Muslims we need to continue to remain alert, if we have an inkling of some one who 'wishes' to hurt another being, it is our religious duty to pounce on him/her and stop it at once unequivocally. The Quraan says saving one life is like saving the whole humanity. The only sin God does not forgive is shirk, that is assigning some one to do God's job; one of them is to give life and take life. This is where we need to do our Jihad, to prevent a Bin Laden or another idiot to take over God's job. This is Shirk, unforgivable by God.

We need to send a clear signal to the terrorists, what the Muslims in Mumbai had done - deny burial in a Muslim cemetery if there is one. Let them know clearly that they are not welcome among Muslims, who the hell they think they are, God? No Muslim should tolerate any one to do God's job, it is a shirk to give another person the status of God.

As Americans we need to treat these guys as common criminals, and should resist the temptation of labeling them a Muslim or a Pakistani, what is the point, blame the man and not his family, school, city, religion or country? We need to do a study if these idiots do it for glory, if they do, we should not give them any, and there should not be any incentive to them.

As a civil society, we need to encourage open conversations across America, let people express their frustrations and share what is on their mind.

Mike Ghouse is a speaker, thinker, writer and an activist of Pluralism, Justice, Islam, India and Civil Societies. He is a conflict mitigater and a goodwill nurturer offering pluralistic solutions to issues of the day. http://www.mikeghouse.net/

~ ~ ~
Sacramento's Pakistani Americans declare war on terrorism

http://www.modbee.com/2010/05/08/1158741/sacramentos-pakistani-americans.html?mi_pluck_action=comment_submitted&qwxq=923310#Comments_Container

By Stephen Magagnini - smagagnini@sacbee.com

Sacramento's Pakistani American community Friday declared war on terrorism – whether it's in Pakistan or homegrown.

At the downtown Muslim mosque, several dozen local leaders thanked God for the quick arrest of Pakistan-born U.S. citizen Faisal Shahzad in connection with the attempted Times Square car bombing before anyone was hurt.

Bashir Choudry, president of the Pakistani American Association of Sacramento, and other leaders expressed sadness that another Pakistani American has been linked to terrorism. Choudry said the community will do whatever it takes to root out terrorism.

That includes working with law enforcement, creating a Pakistani studies program at UC Davis to teach people about Pakistan's problems and potential, and lobbying U.S. lawmakers to promote stability, transparency and democracy in Pakistan.

Businessman Farrukh Saaed asked all community members "to help law enforcement find and prosecute these criminals – anyone who hears about suspicious behavior needs to come forward to try to stop it initially at the grass-roots level before it becomes something big."
"We are all together in defeating forces trying to hurt or damage the American way of life – peace, justice and freedom," Choudry said.

Community leaders said they'd support the Department of Homeland Security's plan to monitor travel between the United States and Pakistan. "We will cooperate as long as there's a good reason and it's not racial profiling," Choudry said.

The Rev. David Thompson, president of Sacramento's Interfaith Service Bureau, noted that the man "who found the smoking SUV and saved the day was a Muslim." True Islam is peaceful, "not this radicalized violence in the name of Islam," Thompson said.

Sacramento's 15,000 Pakistani Americans – whose roots in Northern California go back to 1895 – include doctors, lawyers, professors and philanthropists, said longtime community leader Rashid Ahmad.

"We have an obligation to educate our own people and American society about the true nature, problems and potential of Pakistan," said Ahmad, who supports a Pakistani Studies program at UC Davis and plans to invite the chief justice of Pakistan's Supreme Court to California.

Not only have Pakistanis laid down their lives to battle terrorism in Pakistan and Afghanistan Ahmad said, "our relatives in Pakistan face a daily onslaught from terrorist bombings."
To help Pakistanis solve their own problems, "Pakistani Americans have an obligation to communicate with our government in the U.S. to not give money, but support democratic forces, transparency, good government and good education," Ahmad said.

Times Square suspect Shahzad, the son of a decorated aviator in the Pakistani air force, is an unemployed financial analyst from the suburb of Shelton, Conn. He allegedly hatched the car bomb plot after numerous trips to Pakistan where he was trained by radical elements in the Pakistani Taliban.

Haseeb A. Rana, an IT manager at Intel in Folsom, expressed the frustration shared by many Muslims when Americans are linked to terrorism in Pakistan.

Lodi's Hamid Hayat was convicted of lying about attending a terrorist training camp in Pakistan in 2007.

In 2003, the "Lackawanna Six," Yemeni Americans from New York who attended an al-Qaida jihadist camp in Pakistan, pleaded guilty to terrorism charges.

"There are a lot of people like me who want to help but we don't know what to do – a good Muslim will never hurt anybody," Rana said. "We have to ask more questions so we can diagnose this cancer and find a cure."

YOUR COMMENTS

3000 THANKS; What are you most likely to say?

Just imagine if aliens from different planets gather in a convention on “Protecting the Universe” held on Planet Zenorina. The first thing we would do, is to introduce each other when we meet face to face with the “others” and while banging the heads (their custom) what would you say about yourselves?

Continue: http://wisdomofreligion.blogspot.com/2010/03/3000-thanks-what-are-you-most-likely-to.html
---

An appeal to Muslims about Dr. Afia Siddiqi

An appeal to Muslims about Dr. Afia Siddiqui

Today a Manhattan jury found Afia Siddiqui guilty of all charges. Siddique is the Pakistani scientist accused of shooting at her US captors while in custody in Afghanistan. The defense team was counting on the lack of physical evidence against Siddiqui to lead to an acquittal.

My concern is what is floating on the net, “that she fought for Islam” that amounts to twisting the issue from Justice to “religious” one; I believe it is short-sighted and wrong. The issue is about justice, and it has been painful to read and watch the trial, rather the mis-trial and the apparent denial of justice to Dr. Afia Siddiqi.

I appeal to Muslim hallucinaters around the world to keep the issue to Justice otherwise, we will invoke the Neocons to cook up imaginary enemies and change the nature of the issue. It may cause further harm to Dr. Siddiqui’s appeal.

Our system of Justice and our Jury is fair, but we do make mistakes and the system is amenable to that and we need to have patience and honor it.

If you demonstrate, please do it peacefully and make an appeal to justice. Kindly avoid religious slogans, condemnations or other unproductive methods; you may harm the appeal for justice to Dr. Siddiqi by your demonstrations.

As Muslims please follow what the Prophet would have done; pray for the well being of Afia and appeal to the sense of Justice.

Mike Ghouse is a thinker, writer, speaker, optimist and an activist of Pluralism, Interfaith, Co-existence, Peace, Islam and India. He is a frequent guest at the TV, radio and print media offering pluralistic solutions to issues of the day. His work is reflected at three websites and 22 Blogs listed at http://www.mikeghouse.net/

References

The Terror-Industrial Complex - http://www.commondreams.org/view/2010/02/08

Wikipedia : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aafia_Siddiqui
Please be aware that all that you see in Wiki is not truthful, finding the truth is your own responsibility.

Jury convicts Afia Siddiqui for attempted murder http://www.fsrn.org/audio/headlines-wednesday-february-3-2009/6156

LHCBA condemns verdict against Aafia
http://www.thenews.com.pk/print1.asp?id=222575


New Yorker goes on a hunger strike to protest MIT trained Neuroscientist's guilty conviction - http://www.examiner.com/x-4459-NY-Muslim-Examiner~y2010m2d7-New-Yorker-goes-on-a-hunger-strike-to-protest-MIT-trained-Neuroscientists-guilty-conviction

The Curious Case Of Dr. Afia Siddiqui – http://www.countercurrents.org/versey060210.htm

Pakistan request US to release neurologist on humanitarian ground - http://www.unnindia.com/english/story.php?Id=5899


~~~

AVATAR - A movie about Harmony

Monday, December 28, 2009
Mike Ghouse

When it comes to visual effects, Avatar is the mother of all movies. However, it could have been made in two hours without losing an ounce of amazement. This movie is a good expression of living in harmony with nature exemplified by the indigenous people of Pandora. I would see this movie a few more times to absorb the special effects, nature, harmony, romance, beauty, thoughtfullness and the message of co-existence, aka Pluralism*.
http://mikeghouseforamerica.blogspot.com/2009/12/avatar-movie-about-harmony.html

The native girl tells the hero, “you cannot fill a cup that is full”, and he responds, “it is empty”. It is one of the most powerful dialogues in the movie, in this context, she is telling him, "how can you understand us if your mind is made up of what life ought to be". His response was such a delight, when he says "it is empty", signifying that he is open to new information, that he is not biased, there is room to process the new culture without prejudice or how things ought to be done. My way is not the only way; I am open to your ways.

In another instance, she tells him to ride on the bird which was hostile to him, he asks "how do I know the brid would not kill me", she responds," if it tries to kill you, and if you earn his respect, he will give you the ride." Powerful dialogue. Mother Teresa had said, " if you want to make friends with your enemies, go talk with them". A chinese proverb says, "if you want your enemy gone, befriend him, you threaten him, he will be enemy for life". The hero captures another massive ferocious bird with the tail connection. I wish our politicians have the brains to get this and if they do, terrorism can evaporate into thin air.

One of the Rhino- look-alike animals charges at the hero, he wanted to run, she tells him to stand firmly "show no fear" and as expected the animal stops. The Monkey story has a similar conclusion, when he stares at you threateningly, and if you think of taking a back step, he reads your fear and will be all over you, whereas if you stand firmly, monkey will pause, gets frightened and backs off, that has been my experience with real monkies and monkey-like humans. This is the kind of approach we need to take with bullies in our lives, if you fear getting hurt anyway, frighten the crap out of them by taking a firm stand.

The movie talks about the universe of energy that is made up of everything within us and what surrounds us; the harmony was beautifully expressed in terms of connection the hero makes with a bird, horse like animal and the trees by aligning his tail (Ironic) with theirs. It is an example of how to co-exist with differences. It is a beautiful expression of looking the universe as uno energy, giving each component of it, its full value.

The uno energy is composed of multitudes of diverse elements living in harmony. It is comparable to the idea of “One God”; however it ought to be “oneness” rather than mathematical integer.

The idea can carry a few members of religion into fanatic frenzy of chanting “one God”, as if God is a number. The idea of one God is the multitudes of traditions living in harmony within the “larger one God”, rather than “your one” and “my one.” Event those who do not believe in God as presented by religions, can consider it as an energy that drives every thing, the system that keeps the universe in balance, the planets, and the moon orbiting the earth in precision. It is the consistent energy that pervades in one to have the feelings about others and others rights.

The movie highlights the wickedness of corporations that dehumanize life, where profit drives them to insanity; it is kind of a film on John Perkins, “Confessions of an economic Hitman”.

It shows the helplessness of many who fear the bully corporations and simply yield to the evil dictates of men despite their disdain. If Edmund Burke can be paraphrased, “the evil in the world exists and continues to exist because of good people, and not due evil men, because good men don’t do anything to stop it”.

We should have protested along with Cindy Sheehan and Michael Moore, had we done that, we probably would not have let our war machinery destroy others as well as bring misery to us.

There is another critical dialogue in the movie, where the commander in charge of the corporation is bent on destroying the native people by seizing their land and literally bulldozing them and saying, we are going to teach “those terrorists” and order his men to destroy them with shock and awe. As audience, we sense the ridiculousness of it, “the man had gone to their lands, to rob them and when they resist, he calls them terrorists.”

Like all movies, we get the satisfaction that there is hope and at the end of the day justice triumphs.

* Pluralism is developing an attitude of respecting the otherness of other, and figuring out how to co-exist in harmony with the given differences.

Mike Ghouse is a thinker, writer speaker and an activist of pluralism, interfaith, co-existence, peace, Islam and India. He is a frequent guest at the TV, radio and print media offering pluralistic solutions to issues of the day. His websites and Blogs are listed on http://www.mikeghouse.net/

~~~
1/15/2013 - watching Hardball on MSNBC - Nia-Malika Henderson appear on screen, she reminded the foreheads and noses of the characters in Avatar. Take a look

Additional notes:

1. The bird attack on the helicopters reminds me of a story from Quraan where a sea of brats attacking an invading army and chasing them out.

2. The Hindu mythology had a bird called Garuda, on which Lord Krishna (or Hanuman) flew. The inverted V sign on the faces of the natives reminds me of markings in Hindu traditions.

3. I have a severe phobia of heights, my knees freeze on me... I was pleased and surprised with my knees for not freezing on me when they show the hero and heroin stand on the edges of the floating mounations and jump on the birds.

3. Sulekha has copyrights protected on this article for me.
Avatar movie review by Mike Ghouse
Avatar english movie review posted by Mike Ghouse.Write your own movie review on Avatar. ... His websites and Blogs are listed on http://www.mikeghouse.net/ ...

Muslims in America not for domination

Muslims are in America to live their American dream, and NOT to dominate or impose Sharia Laws.

$5000 REWARD

The Neocons* are fabricating and propagating the idea that Muslims are invading America to dominate and impose Sharia Laws without any substantiation. Cashing in on fears is Neocon modus operandi. They know how to scare the devil out of those few self proclaimed conservative Americans, and get them to open their check books, and the poor suckers pay the ransom.

Muslims have no ambitions of making Islam a dominant religion or imposing Sharia Laws in the United States. A few individual may say that for a few claps, but for every creep who runs his mouth with a Muslim label, you will find a lot more of them with other faith labels. The good news is that there are thousands of Muslims out there who will speak out against such non-sense and I am one.

Full article: http://worldmuslimcongress.blogspot.com/2009/05/5000-reward.html

Mike Ghouse
Sounding off the voices of a majority of Muslims.

Mike presides the World Muslim Congress, a think tank with a mission, what is good for Muslims has got to be good for the World and vice-versa to sustain it. He believes that to be a Muslim is to be a peacemaker, one who constantly seeks to mitigate conflicts and nurtures goodwill for peaceful co-existence. God wants us to live in peace and harmony with his creation; life and mater. Indeed, that is the purpose of religion, any religion.